Homecoming:
by Fandom Girl Writer
Summary: Ivy's trying running out for the first time when she suddenly meets someone new who takes an instant interest in her, she kind of wants to forget the fitness and just focus on trying to find out who this person is. It's also more interesting when he won't tell her who he is. But she does find out through the course of it all and the answer changes her life for the better. Two-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

"I've got a mission next week." Bucky told Ivy as she nodded, biting her lip as she looked away from him.

"How long for?" She asked and he looked away this time.

"I don't know. Could be a month, could be a year." He revealed and Ivy's eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't help but sniff as she tried to hold them back. "I know you don't like it, but I'll be fine." He reassured, putting his hand on her face to turn it back to face him. "Okay?" He asked softly and Ivy nodded again.

"I know, I just… worry." She finished with a small laugh as Bucky joined in. "Keep me updated please?" She begged and he simply stayed silent. Ivy laughed at his reaction, still trying to hold back the flood of tears and emotion. "Of course not." She whispered with a sigh. They both smiled at each other before getting up and walking back to Stark Tower. It had become their normal routine of going for a run. It was a running joke between the two of them. He'd met her on her first day running as she'd tried to be healthy but they'd ended up abandoning it to go to a café for a breakfast date which wasn't properly a date.

It was certainly an experience.

"Come on, come on." Ivy pleaded as she pressed play on her earphones. She only had a limited amount of songs but they were so addictive and mainly guilty pleasures. But the music wasn't the problem, it was the earphones. They had previously been crushed underneath her paperwork and now they only worked from certain angles which was incredibly annoying. Her music kept cutting out at random moments but Ivy knew she couldn't make it through the run without any music.

So she'd taken a chance on them and it had worked until a few seconds ago when she'd stopped in Central Park and began to try to fix it. But when her hands got all tied up in the strings, it became hard to keep it in her hands. "Shh- sugar." She stopped, trying to catch the phone as it slipped through her fingers and onto the floor.

"Are you alright Ma'am?" A man asked as Ivy had fallen to her knees, trying to pick it up. She had been trying to untangle her fingers before he had come and untangled them with one pull.

"Fine thank you." Ivy smiled, looking up to see her phone and attached earphones in the hands of a man with a look in his eyes that captivated her. It was something out of a book and instantly, Ivy felt inspiration fill her as her smile widened into a genuine instead of a polite one.

"Here you go. I'm not entirely sure what this is but it seems important to you." He joked, giving her phone back as Ivy took it, vaguely aware that they were both kneeling on the floor.

"It is kind of important yeah. My boss might call me at any moment. She usually does." Ivy laughed as she pocketed them before getting up and holding out a hand to Bucky who let her pull him up.

"I'm guessing you're not very happy in your job?" He chuckled as Ivy grinned.

"No, I am. I just can't stand to be on call all the time. I just can't do anything without getting a million texts or calls." She reasoned with a smile.

"Are you a doctor?" He asked, not quite familiar with the lingo.

"No, I'm just a carer. I look after people who employ my company. It's usually people who have a certain disability or who have just come out of hospital." Ivy explained, both of them walking together, neither realising that they were going a bit further than intended. While Ivy talked, Bucky was watching with keen interest. He found her very interesting. He'd never met anyone like her. "But this was just me trying to be healthy. Didn't really work, can't go one mile without getting bored. I need some music or company." Ivy laughed as she tied up the earphones properly. "What about you?"

"I go for a run every morning." Bucky spoke simply as Ivy nodded, carefully watching him through her peripheral vision. It was obvious he kept in shape, Ivy could see the muscles.

"A mile every morning?" She asked and Bucky hesitated.

"More like 10." He told her truthfully as she laughed, obviously not believing him.

"Yeah right." She dismissed as he went silent with only a smirk. "What, seriously?" She asked, getting only a wider smirk as an answer. "I don't believe you. It's not possible." Ivy replied, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Anyway, would you like to have breakfast with me? It seems like the right time." He asked, checking his watch as Ivy laughed at his question. So direct and blatantly changing the subject. It was actually kind of cute.

"Sure." Ivy agreed with a shrug. Why not? "But on one condition." She smirked, folding her arms as they stopped, Bucky watching her carefully. "You tell me your name. I can't have breakfast with someone I don't know the name of." She reasoned as Bucky laughed.

"You first." He replied as she bit her lip, trying to decide whether she would tell him or not.

"Ivy." She finished, trusting him as she sucked in a breath. "You?" She asked, trying to move on.

"Not saying." He grinned as Ivy gasped. Her gasp twisted into a smirk. She tried to portray the anger but just seeing his face just made her lose all anger again.

"You tricked me!" She stated with a laugh as Bucky carried on grinning. "How dare you!" She jokingly slapped his arm before pulling her hand away with a hiss. It was like metal. "Ow! That hurt!" She told him as he pulled his arm away.

"Sorry, I'll go." He apologised as Ivy pulled him back.

"Wait, you asked me for breakfast and then you bail? So much for a gentleman." She joked, sensing that there was something else going on. She didn't want to offend him, she actually rather liked him.

"You still want to have breakfast? I thought you had that condition." He asked, not sure on whether he even wanted to go at this point.

"Well, who cares about names or even knowing each other at this point? We had a chat, if we were in a bar and me in a sexy dress, we'd be in bed by now." She shrugged, making Bucky laugh as he looked at this strange woman. She was very confident. And clever. It was obvious she had a brain, so he decided to test her. It was the most comfortable he'd felt with someone that wasn't Steve in a long time. Names were a bother and what was the point of denying himself her company?

"So you want to go to bed?" He asked suggestively and she raised an eyebrow.

"Buy me breakfast first and then I'll see if I have time." She replied, walking into the closest shop. They had just opened and the place was pretty empty by the looks of it. Ivy walked in and sat at a table, wondering if he would follow. To her inner delight, he did.

"Mind if I sit here?" He joked, gesturing to the seat next to her.

"Be my guest." She grinned as they both picked up the menus and tried to decide what they wanted. "So what do you want?" She asked and he pretended to think comically before answering.

"Just a classic English breakfast." He replied as Ivy nodded, checking out the option on her menu. "You?" He asked and Ivy sucked in her cheeks as she thought, propping up her head on her hand.

"Probably the Hangover." She finally answered, nodding as she spoke. "Yeah." She determined as Bucky smirked, raising an eyebrow at her option. She flicked her eyes to look at him before realising what she'd said. "I'm not hungover, I'm just… hungry." She finished, a smile on her lips as they both started to laugh. "Okay, you caught me. I'm had a little sip of wine. It was just a little though, just to finish the glass from last night." She defended and Bucky grinned at her, finding her excuses witty. "Okay, I should probably change that." Ivy decided, shaking her head. She didn't want to shout out her current state to the entire café.

"What would you like to eat today?" A waiter asked politely, holding his notepad and pen in front of him as he smiled.

"I'll have the Hangover." Bucky smirked, speaking in a lower tone as Ivy gaped at him.

"And you Miss?" He asked and Ivy began to stutter a little as she looked back at the menu.

"Um, one classic English and a continental. Or maybe a dirty burger?" Ivy ordered before second guessing herself.

"So which one?" He asked and Ivy pressed her lips together, trying to order quickly so as not to annoy him.

"Um, both?" She asked before receiving a weird look. She smiled awkwardly as he sighed, walking away. "Damn." She whispered once he'd left. "I only meant to order one." She rolled her eyes, putting her chin back onto her hands.

"How are you going to eat it all?" He asked with a laugh, looking at her defeated face. But his words seemed to invigorate her and she sat up straighter.

"Is that a challenge?" She asked and Bucky smirked, nodding.

"Maybe." He spoke, wanting to see what she would do. "Can you do it?"

"Easily." She replied confidently, cracking her fingers and stretching as if preparing for a marathon. The food was brought over and Bucky began to eat, watching as she took a deep breath before tucking in. She got through one tray and blew out a breath, pushing it to one side and glaring at the next as if going to box it. She then began to eat that while Bucky smirked, pulling his 'phone' that Tony had given him. He brought up the camera and took a few pictures as she posed with a spoonful of beans before shovelling them into her mouth. He then tried to take a video and was confused when something called a fast burst started and it took a load of pictures of Ivy eating and trying not to laugh with the food in her mouth as she saw Bucky trying to turn it off.

He moved it down and it showed her hand reaching for the napkin on the seat as she tried to wipe away the food crumbs from her hands and mouth to try and help him. "Do you need some help?" She asked, once she'd swallowed. He nodded as she laughed and took the phone from him, setting it back to normal. "There you go." She told him as he smiled before accidentally pressing on his photos in the corner of the screen and it showed Ivy all the photos of him and Steve and various Avengers. He'd even managed to get one of Fury who was sighing with a dead look in his eyes.

Ivy laughed when she saw this and clicked on them, going through them as Bucky held his breath, wondering if she knew the Avengers well enough to recognise them without any special suit or armour. He didn't want her to treat him differently because he was Captain America's best friend, he actually liked how normal and quirky she was. He liked that the women of today actually showed their emotions and didn't care about looking ridiculous sometimes. It made him at ease around them. He didn't have to pretend when they didn't. "Aw, these are adorable. Are these your friends?" She asked, grinning as she flicked through them, an expert with the small devices as her finger delicately tapped the screen like Bucky would with a gun.

"Yeah, he's my best friend." Bucky smiled as a picture of both him and Steve popped up, both trying to figure out how to take the picture.

"I can tell." Ivy laughed as she entered a gallery basically filled with pictures of Steve and Bucky doing weird stuff together. One was a video of Steve trying to swallow a raw egg in a glass. Another was Bucky asleep while Steve braided his hair. "You look so good with braided hair!" She exclaimed, laughing as she zoomed in with her two fingers to see the lovely pink ties that Steve had used.

"Yeah, his pranks have gotten much better." Bucky agreed, a smirk of his face as he remembered what had happened the next morning. Both Bucky and Ivy stayed there much longer than supposed to and only left when Ivy got a call, taking her back to work.

"Hello?" She asked, putting a finger to her lips as she looked at Bucky, trying to listen to her boss. "1 hour? Sure, I can get there. Yeah, no, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Just send me the details and I'll get there." She spoke, taking small intervals as she listened with a business-like face. "See you." She smiled before hanging up and smiling at Bucky. "Sorry, I have to go. My boss called." She sighed, biting her lip as she quickly gathered her stuff and went to put some money down to pay for the food before realising she had no idea how much it cost and asked for the bill.

The waiter came over with the bill and she inserted her card, paying for the entire meal which was much more expensive than she'd thought. She sucked in her cheeks, looking at the steep bill and hesitating for a moment while Bucky quickly got out his own card that Tony had given him, consisting of a million. He barely had any idea how to use it but he was sure he could do it. "I can pay." He smiled kindly and she shook her head, reasserting herself and straightening her shoulders as she quickly paid before he could.

"It's fine." She smiled in return, putting everything away and picking her things back up. "This was really fun, it was nice to talk to you mystery man." She laughed as Bucky remembered that she had no idea who he was.

"Um, I know a lot more places like this. We could go sometime." He suggested as she stopped, looking back at him with a small smirk, wondering if she should before pulling out her phone and pulling up a new contact profile and giving it to Bucky.

"I'd like that." She nodded as Bucky grinned, pulling out his own phone and using his metal arm to hold that on the table while entering his number and putting his contact name as Breakfast Buddy on her phone. It gave him an excuse not to use his metal hand so he didn't have to take off his glove from that hand. He handed it back and Ivy laughed at his contact name and smiled at him. "I'll text you later, Breakfast Buddy." She told him, waving before rushing out, getting late for work.

Ivy smiled as she remembered, washing up the dishes for a client. It was one of her tasks before she had to sit down and talk to the client. She had Alzheimer's and sometimes remembered her and sometimes didn't. But she had training to deal with it so it wasn't too bad. But right now, she just had to focus on cleaning these dishes. After this call, she would be done and she could go to the Tower for a party Tony had invited her to. It was more of a, "Hey I'm fine guys." Outing rather than an actual want to go and socialise. It was a lie of course but the Avengers had come to accept her as one of their own and in turn come to worry about her as one of their own. She loved them the same as well but she couldn't face their constant checking up without actually breaking down.

She was starting to break now. She had gotten news from the mission through a letter that had a million stamps on it so it wouldn't be traced that Bucky had been hurt. It was from Steve, Bucky would never send a letter like that but after Bucky had refused, Ivy had gotten Steve to promise to keep her updated through whatever means necessary. The thing was, that letter had taken months to get to here judging from the date on the letter. Bucky could be dead by now and she wouldn't know. His wound could be infected and she wouldn't be able to help. And the thought was killing her slowly.

She sniffed, wiping the tears away with her shoulder. It had been 6 months since he'd gone and she'd coped but it was still difficult. The water ran over the last plate and the soap washed away, leaving it free to put on the rack. She couldn't see for a moment, using her arm to wipe away the tears before drying her hand. She took a few deep breaths before regaining a sense of control. She dried everything and cleared up before going for a chat with the client. "So, what do you want to talk about today Mrs Carter?" She asked, a smile on her face.

A month after their meeting:

"So, if you won't tell me your name, what about some other stuff? A game of 21 Questions?" Ivy proposed, whispering as she texted. She sent it off, eagerly waiting for his reply. On the other side of the phone, Bucky started to freak out, rushing to Steve's room, finding Natasha sitting in it as they talked.

"Buck? What's wrong?" Steve asked as he crashed in, holding the phone in his hands as if it was a dangerous bomb about to explode.

"What's 21 Questions?" He asked, not entirely familiar with the concept. Steve shrugged, not knowing himself as Natasha spoke up.

"A game. It's a game." She told them as she laughed at their blank stares. "You two really have no idea do you?" She asked and received still, only blank stares. She sighed, rolling her eyes and putting her head on her hand. "It's a game where you ask each other questions and you have to answer them. Usually, there's an objective but people just use it to get information out of each other now. Comes in useful in interrogations." Nat mused as Steve raised an eyebrow. "When they don't really know that they're being interrogated." She added, making Steve smirk.

"So a girl usually asks these questions?" He asked, not really understanding the concept.

"A girl?" Steve asked, latching onto the meaning as he quickly got up and took the phone from Bucky's hands, throwing it to Nat who scrolled through the messages and gasped.

"Oh my God, Bucky's got a girlfriend!" She laughed as she showed Steve who was still trying to jokingly restrain Bucky.

"A girlfriend?" Steve asked, taking the phone for himself and looking through them as Bucky sighed, giving up and letting them know.

"She's not my girlfriend." Bucky spoke half-heartedly.

"You want her to be though." Nat smirked, giving him the phone back. "Thank me later." She told him as he quickly checked his phone, knowing she must have done something. He was right. She'd replied to her text with a casual 'sure'. Quickly enough, a reply made its way to him and he threw it to Steve as the phone beeped.

"What did she ask?" He asked reluctantly.

"How old are you?" Steve read off with a laugh. "How are you going to explain that one Buck?" He challenged while Nat rolled her eyes in the background.

"Just ask her what her age is and say you're about there." She told them, taking the phone off of Steve and typing in that he was 30.

"Okay, next question." Ivy whispered, labelling them 1 and 2 as she went along. "Do you do this a lot?" She smirked, sending it off.

"Do what?" Bucky asked, looking at the text and sending his own off.

"Pick up girls' things and ask for their numbers?" Ivy bit her lip, waiting for a reply. He told Steve who laughed, taking it off him and typing in a reply. Bucky wrestled to get it off him but he was too late and the text had already been sent. "All the time?" Ivy whispered to herself as the phone beeped and she quickly tapped on the notification to see his answer. She stopped for a moment, an unsettling feeling settling in her stomach like a stone. She bit her lip, staring at the message until her eyes blurred before a beep made her blink again.

"Sorry, that was my friend Steve. He was trying to make you think I was suave." It said and Ivy felt a small smile grace her lips at that. Then it broke into a grin at the next message. "Which I am. I've just fallen off my game." It read and she raised an eyebrow. "Just off my game." It beeped again and Ivy couldn't help the laughter bubbling up inside her.

"Sure, of course. Just off your game. Nice correction." She smirked, putting the winking face with the tongue out. It was one of her favourite emojis. It was funny, flirty and encompassed her daily moods. Of course, it did waver, based on her moods but it was definitely her most used. The rest of the conversation went smoothly, Bucky only using words and phrases that he properly knew rather than these 'new' phrases that were better in Natasha's opinion.

"Hey, um what was the name of that other breakfast bar?" She asked, knowing she probably had to go to sleep otherwise she might not be able to face the next day.

"Steve, quick! A breakfast bar's name!" Bucky asked as Steve flirted with Natasha. Ever since Steve found out that Clint had a wife and family, he'd finally plucked up the courage to ask the super spy and they'd gotten together, constantly flirting and always together. Bucky teased Steve constantly but no one dared to even broach the topic with Natasha. They all knew she could kill with less than a look. No one had a death wish.

"Oh, he's finally talking to us again is he?" Steve asked, Natasha's sass rubbing off on him as well.

"Take her to the one down the road. What's that one's name?" Natasha asked, trying to think of it as Bucky nodded, quickly typing down the name.

"The Big Ben's?" Ivy asked, shock in her voice as she raised an eyebrow.

"Bit expensive isn't it?" Bucky read off and Nat remembered that normal people weren't exactly as wealthy as heroes and they had no idea what financial state this lady was in.

"Offer to pay for her." Steve suggested, ever the gentleman as Bucky typed it in.

"I can't let you do that."

"I insist." He added and over the phone, Ivy bit her lip. Bucky got worried when she didn't reply, wondering if he'd gone too far when Ivy replied.

"Only this time. If you insist." She wrote and Bucky let out a sigh of relief, sitting down on the bed.

"She reply?" Nat asked, slightly sick of his constant pacing.

"Yeah." He grinned and both Nat and Steve rolled their eyes. He texted her the details and both of them smiled through the phone, laying on a bed as they waited for the day they'd meet again. And although Ivy wasn't stupid, she knew that it could be dangerous meeting up with a guy she barely knew, there was something slightly attractive about the danger of that situation.

It felt the same for Bucky. He didn't know who Ivy was, he didn't know if his time as the Winter Soldier had affected her in any way or if she didn't like prosthetics for some reason. He didn't know a thing about her but at the same time, there was something slightly attractive about the danger of that situation.

He remembered that day with a smile. It had taken him a month of constant texting before he had finally managed to gather up enough courage to ask her. But with that conversation and the mixture of crazy feelings he felt afterwards, he knew enough to know he was infatuated with her. He could only hope it was returned and that it would last. Thinking back on it, he laughed as he realised she probably had the same feelings. It was a memory that just got better the more he thought about it. "You alright Buck?" Steve asked, passing him a can of dried peaches. It was all they could afford but they didn't mind. They had lived through the war on rations after all. This was mostly the same, except both of them had distant lovers this time.

"Yeah, just thinking." He replied, taking a bite as Steve opened his own can.

"About Ivy?" He confirmed and Bucky simply nodded, a smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that just wouldn't go away. Like a light had been turned on in his life and it was brightening up everything else as well. "You did good there Buck. She's special." He agreed, both men smiling as they realised the day that neither of them had expected to come, had come. They were both happy and fulfilled. Now, they just had to close up the distance between their lovers.

"Thanks."

Two months after their first meeting:

(The Big Ben's)

Ivy smiled as she got up. It was time for her morning run. Only this time, her schedule was slightly different. She went to the bathroom, as usual. She put on her leggings and vest with the jumper tied around her waist as usual. She took a piece of buttered toast and the bag that was always packed for her day's work, as usual. So what was different? Ivy ran to Central Park, her trainers having a new bounce in them despite being old. She stopped once she got to the spot where she met Bucky that day, and sat on the bench closest. She sat, and waited and pretended to call someone after a few minutes. It felt awkward when she was just sitting there with nothing to do, it was easier to pretend she was calling someone. However, that did backfire on her when she saw her Breakfast Buddy.

He sat down next to her, simply sitting as he waited for her to finish her imaginary call. She smiled at him, mentally cursing as she carried on her murmuring of "Hmm, yeah. Okay." Before ending it and putting the phone back away to look at him, trying not to blush as she realised that he had the look on his face that told her he knew exactly what she had been doing.

"You ready to go?" He smirked and she smiled, nodding as he started to chuckle, holding his hand out for her to take as she burst out into laughter as well, both of them grinning as they walked hand in hand to their breakfast bar which was very near to the Tower. Ivy couldn't help but consider the choice and the photos she'd seen yesterday. She didn't know much about the superheroes, not into that sort of news. She was in the medical world, what she cared about were the horrific cuts to the medical funding in England and the rise in costs of healthcare in America. That was her topic of conversation, not whether Captain America was going out with the Black Widow or whether Iron Man had updated his suit. But it seemed that she would have to because this man, her Breakfast Buddy had some connection to that world. She was sure of it.

"Do you know of Captain America?" She asked and Ivy nodded.

"He's a great man." She complimented, Peggy laughing as she agreed.

"He is. He's also happy, like I was. That was all I wanted for him. My only regret has been fulfilled." She revealed as Ivy smiled, placing her hand on top of hers for comfort. "Do you have a partner?" She asked, watching as she blushed and smiled, trying to keep the tears back.

"Yeah… but he's away right now." She added, making Peggy smile.

"But he's still your partner." She finished, speaking the unspoken truth and Ivy nodded.

"Of course."

"But there's something else." Peggy deducted, watching Ivy's face and she looked away for a moment.

"He's been injured. I got the letter a few months ago, I'm not sure what's happened since then. I only got the news through Steve but I can't communicate with him because I could jeopardise the mission, I just have to trust he will communicate with me." She explained, blurting it all out before realising she may have said a bit more than she should have. She stopped abruptly and Peggy let out a weak laugh.

"It's okay. I know your partner is James or more commonly known as Bucky. Sharon told me everything, I am one of the founders of SHIELD." She pointed out and Ivy laughed, tipping her head forwards in relief as her hair thankfully stayed back in a bun. "I'm going to slap Steve when he comes back. There's no point sending a letter just to worry you." She promise as she shook her head.

"No Peggy, I'm glad he did." She smiled before it faded and the elderly lady raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worried for her carer.

"You sound like him. He didn't want to write either, didn't want to worry me." She revealed, the words making Peggy smile fondly.

"Steve's a hypocrite. He would've done exactly the same had his partner not been allowed to know anything like you. Luckily, Natasha Romanoff can get her hands on anything she wants. Including Captain America." She replied as Ivy laughed again, smiling at her client who patted her hand again. It may have been the same sort of conversation she'd had for a few visits now, it still helped all the same.

Three months after their first meeting:

(At the Big Ben's)

"Hey, are you okay? You seemed a little off today." He asked as she nodded with a smile. She had just remembered he was Bucky, more commonly known as the Winter Soldier. She wasn't scared, mainly just shocked. She didn't blame him for not telling her, he probably thought she would freak out but if she told him that she already knew, he would probably feel betrayed and that she didn't trust him. The whole situation was kind of messy and it took up quite a bit of her mind. She couldn't help but think about it and it had taken away from the conversation a little. Bucky could tell she was distracted and he could only wonder what it was and worry slightly that it might be what he thought.

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking about a client." She lied, not able to tell the truth at that moment.

"You work too hard." Bucky laughed, his worries slightly soothed as Ivy smiled, breaking into a laugh when she saw his face.

"Thanks." She replied, taking it as a compliment as she watched his face with a soft smile. She didn't realise that their relationship with each other had progressed further than they'd expected. It hadn't been love at first sight, nor had it been friendship. But it definitely seemed to be progressing into love, and Bucky's next question just confirmed it.

"How about taking a night off with me?" He offered, his hand still entwined with hers. He had made sure to always use his 'human' hand so she wouldn't know and waited patiently as she turned to look at him and almost survey him before smirking and nodding.

"Alright then." She agreed with a smile as they both nodded.

"Alright." He replied and she grinned.

"Alright." She whispered, both of them a little shaky after their secrets but going forwards with a sort of apprehensive optimism.

Bucky took another bite of his peaches, leaving his friend to wait before laughing and pushing him gently on the shoulder. "Of course I think Natasha's great as well. Don't worry, I think you two are great for each other." He reassured as Steve rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath. Bucky may have a metal arm but he was still the jerk who always joked around that he knew from the 40's. And Steve was still the not so little anymore punk who was always so eager to put his life in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

Four months after their first meeting:

(On their night off)

"Have you told her your name yet?" Steve challenged as Bucky got ready, slipping gloves on as usual. He was lucky, it was getting colder so he had an excuse.

"Nope." He replied truthfully, his actions slowing as he listened to the question for once.

"Have you shown her your arm?"

"Nope." He sighed, a bit annoyed at his friend for ruining the moment but as always, he had a point.

"Bucky." He warned as the man raked a hand through his hair.

"Look, I know. I just don't want to mess this up. I really like her, I don't want her to run away. It's happened before." He reasoned and Steve went silent. "Or run to me even more because of it. I want to just leave it like this. It's going well Steve, I just… don't see why it has to change." He sighed, finishing off and Steve clapped a hand on his back with a kind smile.

"Yes you do, you just don't want it to." He summarised as Bucky stayed silent this time, keeping his head down. "Come on, cheer up. You've got a date." He spoke after a moment, smiling at his old friend. They both nodded before Bucky walked out to pick her up on foot. It was just one of their unspoken things. Seeing that their first meeting was because of their running, they walked everywhere. Ivy's car was mainly just her storage space instead of transportation and Bucky had yet to take lessons let alone purchase a car.

He walked to her apartment, knocking on the door with a rose he picked from a neighbour's bush. She opened the door and looked up at him in a suit with wide eyes before she bit her lip, slinging the handbag around her neck. "Wow, you clean up good." She complimented as he laughed awkwardly, bringing his gloved hand to the back of his head, letting it get caught in the hair before pulling away.

"Thanks." He smiled before remembering to return the compliment. "You look great as well." He grinned as she shrugged, walking out and locking her door. He wasn't lying, she did look great in her blue dress up to her knees with layers and her hair flowing out without any apparent design but it still looked good. The closest locks to her face mainly highlighted the light makeup of red lips, darker eyes and curlier eyelashes but apart from that, she had remained pretty neutral. Somehow though, she still looking amazing to Bucky. She hadn't even tried too much but he could still see just as much beauty as he always did, if not that little bit more.

"I've just been waiting for the right time to bust this dress out. I bought it years ago. Luckily, it still fits." She joked, twirling as the layers flew up before settling back down on her body.

"I um, bought you a rose." He spoke, bringing attention to the flower in his hands as she gasped, picking it from his hands and admiring it.

"Aw, it's lovely Bu- Buddy." She smiled before stumbling over his name. It had taken them a month to both get a free day, she'd managed to do a little research on him during it. She knew his full name, story and close relationship with Captain America/the Avengers who she remembered in his photos. She had basically pieced it all together but tried to forget it as soon as she had, knowing it had to be his choice if he revealed it. Bucky himself looked at her in slight confusion and she smiled, trying to change the topic. "Did you pick it from Mr Thompson's bushes?" She gasped, recognising it as they walked past it, having left the flat block and matching it with the others.

"Yeah." He laughed she gasped, both of them dismissing the slight blunder from earlier.

"Oh my God, I've wanted to do that for ages. He hates it." She laughed as the man rushed out of his house, seeing them close to his rose bushes.

"HEY!" He yelled, trying to run as Ivy gasped, trying not to scream. She grabbed Bucky's gloved hand, sandwiching the rose between both of their hands and turned to him quickly.

"Run." She whispered as they took off down the street, rushing all the way to the bar they'd arranged, looking back in fear every now and then before finally stopping a street away. Ivy, who had been terrified moments before began to laugh as she put her hands on her knees, regaining her breath. "Oh my God, that was so fun." She grinned, the flower still in his hand. She hadn't dropped it. It was a bit crushed after being held in both of their hands, but she still had it.

"I'm glad you thought so. I don't think I've ever been more scared of a 50 year old man." Bucky joked as Ivy laughed again.

"60 actually." She corrected as Bucky laughed at her reply. "But that's part of the fun." She added, bringing the rose up to her hair involuntarily in her hand as she pushed locks of hair from her face. It was only then that she noticed it again. "So, what to do with this?" She asked, putting it between her fingers like a ring before laughing and Bucky smiled before gently moving forwards and taking it. "You got an idea?" She asked, her voice a little quieter, not needing to speak any louder because of his closeness.

"Sort of." He replied, trying to thread it into her hair but it just fell out. "I guess it doesn't work." He sighed, almost longing for the 40's where it was easy to thread a rose into a woman's curls. The fashion had changed, meaning he had to change as well but it was hard to think of another way to give flowers to a woman. What would they do with them for the rest of the night? She had a point, the only thing they would do was put it in the bin. And although he couldn't blame her for doing that, it would still hurt his feelings slightly.

"Hang on." She replied, looking in her bag before pulling out a bobby pin. "You think that would work?" She asked, presenting the pin to Bucky as if it was a lost treasure with a laugh that could sound like angelic singing to him.

"There's only one way to find out." He replied, fiddling with it for a moment before finally managing to clip it in without messing up her hair. It looked rather pretty actually. He stepped back and Ivy slowly patted her head, finding the rose and trying to figure out the shape and if it looked good.

"Does it look good?" She asked and he nodded, proud of his work. It was rather a good metaphor for their relationship. It wasn't as conventional as others, it required a bit of work in areas but overall, it was beautiful.

"Yeah." He agreed and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What, do you think I'd let you walk into a public place looking bad?" He asked in mock shock, making her laugh before smiling at him.

"You know what, I'm going to trust you. Because I don't have a mirror or a second opinion and you seem trustworthy." She finished and he gasped dramatically, holding his arm out for her to take.

"You're really going to trust me with something as important as that?" He asked and she laughed, tipping her head forwards and flooding her face with the loose hair before recovering and flicking it out of her face as they began to walk down the street.

"What can I say? I'm a daredevil." She smirked, both of them laughing as they walked inside. Suddenly, the peaceful and calm tone of their bantering conversation was lost in the loud music and bright colours of the club. Bucky's ears were suddenly blasted and he instantly cringed with Ivy who gave him a pained glance. "Let's go over there!" She yelled over the music, pointing to the bar as Bucky nodded, both of them making their way to it and away from the speakers. She held his hand again as they waded through the people, using her other hand to block one ear with her palm before the two of them finally got there. They both breathed a sigh of relief as they sat down and the music wasn't so deafening.

"Thank God." He joked as she laughed.

"Not a fan of clubs then?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Not when the music threatens to render my ears useless." He sassed as she laughed again, raking a hand through the half of her hair that didn't have the rose in it so she didn't dislodge it. They sat in a sort of silence before Ivy decided to broach the subject before chickening out.

"Hey, can we take a photo, my friends don't believe that I met someone on a morning run." She suggested as he shrugged, watching as she tried to aim it before finding that their faces were practically blacked out with all the lights. "Can you take it? Your side is better." She asked and he started to sweat under the suit. He took the phone with shaking hands. He knew how to use it, what he didn't know it was he was going to use his human hand when that would block her face. He tried his gloved hand before realising that wouldn't work. "Bucky, you need to use your hand." She laughed as he struggled, not realising the actual problem. "Just take off your glove." She shrugged as he put the phone down before peeling off the glove on the human hand and putting that one down first before slowly taking off the second one while Ivy waited patiently.

He revealed the metal and Ivy's face dropped as she saw it. "Listen, it's not what you think." He began as she took his hand in hers. She began to caress the metal, brushing her hand over it before smiling at its movement. Bucky was rendered speechless as he watched her examine the arm with a grin.

"Listen Bucky," She began as he looked at her in shock.

"You know who I am?" He asked and she nodded, looking away guiltily. She felt bad now.

"Yeah, you're Bucky Barnes. Those people in your photos were the Avengers right?" She clarified and he stopped for a moment, shaken to the core before blinking and trying to listen as Ivy apologised some more.

"Yeah." He spoke lowly, answering her earlier question a bit late as she struggled to hear him, simply following as he rushed outside. He began to walk away and she rushed after him, collecting all her stuff and beginning to run. She grabbed his arm and spun him around, backing off when he ripped his arm from her grip. She put her hands up as a sign of peace before moving forwards slightly.

"Listen Bucky, you may have thought I'd judge you the second I found out who you were. But I did a little digging and I'll be honest, I don't care. You're still a person to me and my feelings haven't changed." She reassured as he was silent for a moment before smiling slightly.

"And what feelings are those?" He asked and she bit her lip, looking down at the ground before tucking her hair behind her hair.

"Well um, I kind of like you Bucky. I thought it was kind of obvious when I decided to carry on meeting a man who I didn't even know the name of." She joked as Bucky smiled wider, beginning to laugh and catching her attention as she looked back up at him again. He walked closer to her and she managed a small smile.

"I… kind of like you too." He admitted and she began to laugh, giving him a huge hug.

"Thank God. If I just admitted my feelings for nothing, I'd be pretty embarrassed." She spoke truthfully, letting out a sigh of relief as Bucky chuckled at her complete honesty.

"So would I." He agreed, both of them linking arms as they began to walk down the street again, not heading for a direction, just walking.

"Yes, but you heard my admission first. You wouldn't be that embarrassed. I would be because I said it first." She replied, taking the conversation off in a normal direction like before.

"Yeah, but what if you were just lying?" He pointed out and she pondered it for a moment, taking it seriously enough to make Bucky laugh again as he looked at her face.

"Oh, by the way, you left your gloves in there." She smiled awkwardly, bringing them out from her purse and giving them to him but he refused it.

"Don't need them anymore." He replied truthfully and Ivy watched with an open mouth. "And I haven't really got big enough pockets. Keep them in there for me?" He asked and she smiled, nodding as she clipped the bag back up again. She didn't broach the real meaning of what that meant, just accepted it and smiled as they walked long into the night. They found themselves somewhere a bit further than they realised before Ivy pulled up directions back to her flat and they followed that, getting back at 1 o clock in the morning yet they were both still wide awake.

Both of them began to slow down as they got closer to her flat, not wanting to end the night as they saw the rose bushes. "Quick, I think he's watching us." Ivy whispered, the new topic of choice being Mr Thompson and their close shave earlier as they rushed past his house, both of them giggling like schoolchildren before finding themselves walking up the stairs to the flat floor and in front of Ivy's door before they could even say anything else. Their smiles faded slightly as they turned to each other. Ivy tried to speak before finding that she couldn't for some reason.

"Ivy, thank you." Bucky spoke up instead and she smiled, nodding as she tried to fight back tears which seemed to come out of nowhere. This was the perfect end to a date but it seemed like exactly that. The end. All of their other encounters had led onto the others with a small comment, exchanging phone numbers or an invitation to a night off. This time, there was nothing coming to mind. It felt like the end of their relationship.

"It was a great night, I loved hanging out with you." She spoke, trying to think of something else to say when Bucky kissed her instead, shocking her. She quickly closed her eyes though, leaning into the embrace as they both spoke volumes with one action. Every emotion was let out and when they parted, they both felt much lighter. They let out their own sighs of relief and smiles, exchanging every word through their eyes before trying to speak again.

"Are you free on the weekend?" He asked and she nodded.

"Sure." She shrugged, a grin on her face. "Why?" She asked, knowing it had to lead onto something.

"I'll text you." He promised, leaving her outside her door as he walked away. She waved from the balcony as he turned around and he grinned, waving back. It felt like they had almost lived years in that one moment. That end they had been so scared of had just been broken through with a bulldozer and instead of what they feared, the beginning of something else. Something new and exciting had lit up instead, brightening them both up. It was at that moment they both smiled. They knew that as new as this was, it was strong enough to survive and if they wanted it to, it was strong enough to thrive.

Bucky finished the peaches and put the can to the side after getting lost in beautiful memories again. "Steve?" He asked and his friend turned to him with a nod, allowing himself to be distracted from the papers of their mission report. "I've known Ivy for a year now. Is that enough time?" He asked, propping his head up on his arm, resting the elbow on his knee.

"For what?" Steve asked in confusion as he set the papers down.

"To ask her to marry me." He confirmed in a smaller voice as Steve began to cough violently after taking a bite of a peach which he had left on the side. He instantly clapped him on the back and Steve managed to recover quickly before grinning at his best friend.

"Are you sure?" He asked and Bucky nodded slowly before getting surer as he lay down on the bed.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't want to lose her. She's made my life so much better and I don't want to wait any longer." He shrugged as Steve laughed.

"Well then do it Buck. If you really think that what you have is strong and important enough, make it permanent. Don't wait." He urged as Bucky nodded, getting enough encouragement from Steve for him.

"What about you and Nat?" He suggested and Steve shook his head.

"She's not the type for marriage. And I don't think I am either anymore." He shrugged, not bothered. He knew it wasn't the right choice for them. Relationships were different for everyone and different options were right for different people. But he knew that marriage was the right choice for Ivy and Bucky. And just the fact he was talking to Bucky about this and they were both in happy relationships made him smile. He wasn't dead like he thought he would be in this year. He was alive with Bucky and although their circumstances weren't conventional, they were still alive and happy. And that was all that really mattered to him.

"Come on then." Bucky breathed in as he got up from laying down on the bed, a few moments having passed in silence. He slapped Steve on the back, helping him up as well.

"Where are we going?" He asked in confusion, leaving the rest of his peaches.

"To go shopping for a ring." He told him as he shrugged on a jacket.

"Not trying to crush your dreams here Buck, but I don't really have the money to buy an engagement ring, do you?" Steve pointed out as he got ready as well, swept up in it all by his friend. But Bucky simply pulled out a credit card and flashed it at Steve whose jaw hung open. "We could've used that for the food!" He protested as he rushed out of the door with Bucky who laughed in response.

Five months after their first meeting:

(The weekend they're free)

"Bucky, what's going on?" Ivy grinned as she slowly walked forwards trepidatiously, hesitant but trusting, to an extent. She did have her hands out in front of her so she didn't bump into anyone.

"Just a small surprise." He smiled as he led her into the living room of Stark Tower. "You know how you told me you read about the Avengers because of me?" He asked as she nodded, waving her hands about in front of her to detect bodies. Nothing.

"Yeah, Hawkeye's pretty hot by the way." She grinned as Bucky rolled his eyes.

"Yes, we all know you love him." He spoke bitterly as she laughed at his tone.

"Don't work Buck, I still like you better." She patted his hand as a form of apology despite not knowing where she was going. Although Bucky would deny it later, he knew there was a grin on his face at those words.

"Anyway," He cleared his throat, moving on. "I thought I could introduce you." He finished, removing his hands to reveal the team standing there and Ivy's jaw dropped when she saw Clint. She instantly turned around to see Bucky inches away from her face but simply went with it, not really registering the proximity as anything bad to flinch away from.

"Oh my God, did they hear me say that?" She whispered and Bucky smirked with a triumphant nod of the head.

"Yup." He replied and she groaned, putting her head on his shoulder in annoyance and embarrassment.

"Oh my God." She cringed as Bucky laughed, taking her over to Clint who grinned at her, having heard every word of their earlier exchange. Especially the part about him. He held out his hand for her to shake as Ivy grinned in return, knowing he'd heard every word. She meekly shook it, more than a little embarrassed before gasping when he pulled her into a hug. "Oh my God!" She mouthed to Bucky who laughed at her reaction over Clint's shoulder. He pulled away and she was red in the face with giddy joy.

"Nice to meet you Ivy." He smiled kindly as she tried not to burst into unintelligible giggling.

"Nice to meet you too Mr Barton." She replied, taking small breaths to calm herself down as she turned to Bucky who was now behind her again. He smirked before taking her to the next one down the line, Captain America. Steve grinned at her reaction to Clint and held out a hand as well, his other arm around Nat. "Hey, you're Bucky's best friend, Mr Rogers." She smiled, less embarrassed with him as the man chuckled.

"Yup." He agreed with a grin. "I am also known as Steve." He added, making her laugh before slapping her forehead playfully.

"Of course. Sorry." She agreed, much more comfortable around him, seeing as he hadn't heard that she loved him out loud, able to sigh when he shrugged it off and Ivy turned to Nat next to him who grinned at her.

"So you're the famous Ivy. It's nice to finally put a face to a name." She spoke truthfully as Ivy blushed. It was true that Nat had no clue what she looked like, Bucky wouldn't let anyone but Steve see the photos beforehand.

"I'm not famous." She replied honestly as Nat smiled knowingly, gesturing to Bucky. Ivy turned to look at him as he looked away. "Did you tell them about me?" She asked as Bucky nodded, slightly sheepish about his secret being discovered. She laughed, grinning at him as she saw his cute face. "Aw, that's adorable." She replied as he smirked. She turned back around to see Nat and Steve making some sort of gesture which they quickly stopped when they saw her looking. Ivy couldn't resist raising an eyebrow before laughing and moving again to see Tony and Pepper. "Oh my God, you're Miss Potts." She gasped, accidentally ignoring Tony who rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that's me." Pepper smiled kindly as they shook hands.

"Can I just say? Your charity work is amazing, the amount of money you've donated." She complimented as the two women exchanged more compliments.

"That was actually my money!" Tony interjected as Ivy turned to him in mild surprise.

"Oh yes, of course. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Stark." She smiled as she shook hands with him. Tony's pride visually swelled with her words as he turned to the others and mouthed, "A pleasure" theatrically.

"The same to you." He smiled as Ivy turned to see Thor standing in front of her. More like towering over her in all honesty. Ivy looked up at him in shock and gasped when he shook her hand excitedly, a little intimidated by seemingly harmless giant.

"It's wonderful to finally meet Mr Spring's partner." He spoke, crushing her in a hug as she turned to Bucky for help. He pretended to look away for a moment, turning back to see her glaring at him as she ran out of breath.

"Thor, let her down." He laughed as she gasped, her feet being put back on the ground as the Asgardian did what Bucky asked, albeit with his face falling. "And she's not my partner." He added, correcting him.

"Oh, have you not asked her yet?" Thor questioned bluntly, catching Bucky off guard as the man began to stutter, blushing. Ivy smirked as she waited for his response before coming up with one of her own.

"No Thor, sadly he hasn't. I'm still waiting." She told him, shocking everyone in the room but Thor, who only nodded in understanding.

"Of course, a lady bides her time." He smiled as Ivy nodded in reply, making a surprised face at them all before turning around to Thor again.

"And of course, I am a lady." She smirked, flicking her hair over her shoulder happily. "So, what do you guys normally do? Apart from save the world obviously?" She joked as she turned back to the rest of the Avengers, all of which were currently gesturing and mouthing things to Bucky with Pepper being the only exception, whispering for them to stop it.

"Um, not much really. We have parties and train and normal things like that." Steve replied, being the quickest to recover as Ivy nodded, absorbing the information.

"Well, it's my rare time off. I have a day to go with nowhere else to be so who's up for some fun?" She asked, looking at them all as they nodded excitedly.

"Sure, what have you got in mind?" Tony asked, folding his arms.

"What about…" She began, walking over to the sofa as they all followed. "A pillow fight?" She asked as she picked one up and brought it round to whack Tony on his arm as the man yelled, caught completely off guard before he chuckled and got his own pillow.

"Oh you're in for it now Ivy." He told her as she raised an eyebrow, ducking for his first swing before realising he had armed himself with two instead and groaning when he used the other one to hit the face.

"Ooh, that was a low blow Mr Stark." She shook her head as she looked around. She caught Bucky's eye and nodded, signalling for him to come in with his own blow. Tony ducked that but Ivy came in from above, going for a vicious blow to the head. "Avengers! Team up!" She yelled as everyone got into their pairs, finding partners and Pepper reluctantly at first, slipped off her heels and walked over to help Tony against Ivy and Bucky. It was silly and stupid but they were too childish to talk properly like normal adults and too bored to do anything but have fun.

They chased each other around and when they got too tired for that, did the normal-ish talks begin. "Have you ever been travelling?" Clint asked and she shook her head sadly.

"I'd love to, I've always loved things from different countries. Just seeing how differently they do things, you know. Their own special cultural influence, but I've never really had the chance." She finished as they walked to the sofa with mugs of hot chocolate and coffee and their own different, preferred drinks.

"You should see Asgard one day, my lady." Thor spoke up and she smiled, wanting to hear all about it. "There are palaces plated with gold and when the sun shines on them, it is blindingly beautiful. The marketplace is vast and there are many different, sweet fruits to try." He described with that fond sense of home, a small longing for it.

"The colours must be amazing." She agreed and the Asgardian nodded.

"Everyone is clothed in their own colour. The robes are long and each one is plated with a small amount of armour, to suit the deep blue and purple richness of the cloth." He spoke and she sighed as she listened with a smile, closing her eyes as if picturing his description.

"So, you're a carer?" Steve specified as they all flopped on the sofa to relax.

"Yeah, I look after people with disabilities or who are too old to look after themselves." She explained easily, having had to do it many times before as she undid her hair, shaking it out. It had gotten messed up from the pillow fighting anyway, letting it down was just easier.

"So that's pretty fulfilling for you?" Nat smiled as she nodded, not really finding the need to explain her answer for that.

"And you plan to keep doing it forever?" Tony added, asking what they all wanted to know. If she did, would Bucky ever get out of the friend zone? They seemed pretty close already but she barely had any time to hang out with him. They weren't entirely against him, they did want Bucky to have a girlfriend. They just didn't want him to take Steve away. Ivy hesitated before answering, thinking it over.

"Well, I have been for quite some time now. And I do love my job. I wouldn't really want to give it up for anything, especially as I can't see myself doing anything else apart from healthcare." She explained, saying her thoughts out loud. "So, maybe not forever… but for the near future definitely." She finished and Tony nodded, listening to what she said. He did think that she would be the best person for Bucky, he just didn't know if she or Bucky knew that. But he also did know that there were a lot of options with that sort of healthcare work and he could suggest a few that might free up her schedule for a little bit of Bucky.

The day passed with questions and movies and a lot of coffee and Ivy glanced at the time, seeing that it was getting late. She bit her lip, knowing she had to go soon and Bucky saw her nerves. "Should I walk you home?" He offered, giving her an excuse and she nodded at him, smiling gratefully. The team all got up and said goodbye with a smile and promises to meet up again soon. Everyone had really liked Ivy at first sight and their fondness only grew as the hours ticked on, getting to know her properly. She had gotten especially close with Pepper who had exchanged personal numbers with her. It was then that Bucky had found out that she had two phones. A personal one and a work one, to separate the two lives. He had simply laughed at her busy life before shrugging on a jacket and subsequently taking it off when he saw she had none.

"Thanks for lending me your jacket." She smiled as they walked outside, the summer breeze getting chilly.

"It's alright, just promise me you won't sell it for a few bucks." He joked as she laughed, tipping her head forwards before smiling as she recovered. She linked arms with him and they took their time, making the journey last well over an hour longer than it needed to be. They walked slow, talked long and smiled forever. It was a moment that was timeless. At times it could feel like a minute, at others they could sense the time passing in comfortable silence. It was nice and when they got to Ivy's flat, they found themselves longing for more time but knowing they'd probably had more than enough. Bucky just found himself needing confirmation for one thing.

"How many times have we gone out together?" She asked, leading on from the conversation.

"I don't know, about 4 times? 5?" He suggested, the events feeling like they were yesterday.

"Wow, and yet I feel like it's been longer. Is that just me?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Nah, same with me." He agreed as she smiled before silence came over them again. "Um, even though it's only been 4 or 5 times, would you…? Um, are we…?" He asked, not being able to find the right words. "Do you think we're in a… relationship?" He finished, cursing himself for saying it as soon as he did, the words not sounding right. He should've rephrased it, found a better way to say it.

"Are you my boyfriend?" She clarified and he put his hand back onto his head, trying to figure out what to say.

"Um, do you want me to be?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Do you want me to be your girlfriend?" She replied and he let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

"Yeah, um. Yeah." He repeated, shaking his head as he realised he had nothing else to say. She laughed with him before he finally felt comfortable enough to say something else. "Um, I'd really like that." He agreed and she nodded slowly.

"So that's it then. I'm your girlfriend. And you're my boyfriend." She clarified as he grinned, both of them just staring at each other for a moment. "Or put simply, we're going out." She joked as he laughed and she grinned, both of them nodding and agreeing with the other.

"Yeah." He finished and silence ensued again before he managed to pluck up the courage to not let it happen this time. "Um, seeing as we're going out, can I kiss you goodnight?" He asked and she couldn't deny the grin that threatened to split her face. He was so kind, it made her heart melt.

"Sure Bucky." She agreed and they embraced in a sweet kiss which she committed to memory, making sure she would never forget it.

Ivy smiled as she remembered, closing her eyes to picture how it felt. She couldn't help but grin as she thought of him before it was replaced with a longing sigh. She knew he had a lot of missions and that they were important but she couldn't help but think that it would be so much easier to just go with him. He was changing the world and so was she. But he had to travel and leave her for months on end while she just walked over to each client's room. There was a difference.

She had left Peggy's room ages ago, instead opting to go home. It did make things easier, transporting herself home instead of the next client and the next one without end. Tony's suggestion to change her workplace had really paid off, giving her time to go and calmly talk to these people without having to constantly check traffic or the time. Of course, while Bucky was away, she did take on an extra workload, just to keep herself busy all the time and to stop herself from thinking about it. But today, she'd taken an early leave to go and get ready for the party.

She slipped into the sleek dress Tony had sent to her in advance. It was a really nice one. It was interesting how she had only been sent one the day before. It was kind of strange given how early all the other ones had been. They had all been sent the week before, this one had just appeared moments ago. But she hadn't bought a dress for herself. If anything, it was more of an excuse to leave early. And because she had complete faith in the Avengers, especially Tony. He knew to get Pepper and Nat's approval on a dress before buying it and sending it to her. He was also very generous and now she had a wardrobe full of expensive, beautiful dresses she'd never even dreamed of owning.

She sighed as she took a long sip of wine, just to ease her head before she left to go and face this party. Meanwhile, Bucky had been doing something else completely.

"So why are we going shopping here?" Steve asked as they trawled the shop, glancing at every ring they had. It didn't necessarily have to be an engagement ring, it just had to be one. They didn't really know what differentiated them anyway. All the rings looked the same to them, some were just more expensive. But they had to think properly about this stuff, what if she didn't like it? He had to make it look good and also be affordable.

"She told me once that she loved stuff from different countries. Seemed the perfect chance." He spoke truthfully as Steve smirked, finding it amusing how much attention he paid to her words. He really liked this girl. When the deed was done and they were on the plane back home, Bucky looked through his phone, looking at all the photos he had, zooming in on her face and only finding pure joy and a truthful grin on her face. He had always caught her in the middle of a laugh and she was genuinely happy, it wasn't fake. It just gave him more confidence to do what he hoped was the right choice. It felt perfect for him, he just didn't know if she felt the same, being away for 6 months on a secret mission with no contact with her didn't give him the best update on how she felt.

He just hoped for the best.

"Can I just leave please?" She begged Nat who shook her head.

"No way, this was your surprise!" She replied as Ivy sighed, dumping her head on her shoulder in defeat as Pepper laughed.

"Come on, let's go dance." She suggested as the three of them went to the dance floor, trying to relax for a while. They didn't go overboard, just moving from side to side as they talked before Tony swept Pepper away and only those two were left.

"Well great, I think I need more alcohol now." Ivy rolled her eyes as Nat laughed at her.

"I'll get you some." She promised, walking away as Ivy was left on her own, just rolling her eyes awkwardly as she looked around. She began to stop and walk away when the doors crashed open. It was strange, the doors were not really able to do that. She'd remembered from the time that she'd been round the Tower and she'd tried to close them but they just did it slowly and automatically. It wasn't manual.

Someone was here and they were strong enough to close them manually even though they weren't supposed to. So someone was very dangerously strong and stupid enough to open it manually. She turned around in fear to see Bucky standing there with a one of his dumb, confused looks on his face and she felt a surge of emotions come through. Anger, fear and a whole load of glee. Anger because he didn't tell her, fear because she didn't know what to say but a whole load of glee because he was back! After 6 long months, he was finally back!

They made eye contact and she couldn't help but grin as she saw a similar one spread across his face. They both recovered in time and Ivy's eyes began to fill with happy tears as she watched him stroll across the room as if it was just a meeting after a day instead of 6 months. He walked over and she gave him a huge hug, checking him over. "Are you okay? Are you still hurt?" She whispered quickly as he laughed into her ear, still holding her close. He pulled away just enough to look her in the eyes.

"Does it look like I'm hurt?" He asked and she laughed instead, rolling her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck instead.

"I can't tell from here." She replied in a choked up voice as she vaguely registered the music stopping but she couldn't tell for sure.

"So take a better look." He told her before gently moving her hands and stepping back to show himself. She put her hands on his cheeks and smiled lovingly.

"You look perfect to me." She spoke truthfully, a smile on her face as he winked at you.

"So do you." He replied as she laughed at him. He had come out of his shell so much and since they'd been properly together, there was no fear. It was just pure joy and they didn't lie to each other at all. "So, if we're both perfect, could we be more perfect… together?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow at himself and his own phrasing. Ivy raised her own eyebrows, watching in confusion as he reached into his pocket. His phrasing didn't give much away and she was a bit confused as to what he meant.

But his question became clear when he brought out a box from his pocket. She didn't gasp completely, not too surprised, more excited when he opened the box. She didn't know why she wasn't as surprised as she assumed most people would be. "You're proposing?" She laughed as he nodded, showing her the ring. She gasped then, looking at how beautiful the ring was. "Oh my god, how much did this cost?" She asked, fear filled.

"$5" He replied and she looked up at him, her fear dissolving into laughter she put her head on his shoulder, trying not to laugh.

"Let me guess, charity shop?" She asked and he nodded before she actually properly looked at it.

"Do you like it?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"No, I hate it. It's a horribly cultured ring Bucky, how could you choose that for me(?)" She spoke sarcastically as he laughed, watching as she carefully took it out of the box, admiring it and grinning at the beautifully jewelled ring which shone in the lights.

"Can I put it on for you before you steal it forever?" He asked and she snapped out of it, remembering to give it back to him. He took it and slipped it onto her finger, watching as she sucked in a breath, only just sort of realising how heavy this was. But it wasn't a bad weight, it was sort an excited, fizzing feeling in her stomach.

"Yep, it's confirmed. I'm going to steal this forever." She replied honestly as he looked up at her.

"That's what I hoped." He finished and she let out a contented sigh.

"So, what's the date?" She joked, making him pretend to grab the ring back but stopped before he could get anywhere near her hand.

"For now, let's just end this with a good memory." He asked and she thought for a moment before leaning in for a kiss, only then realising that everyone was listening. They were watching intently and she registered the thought for a moment before dismissing it and just focusing on the man in front of her. That was what was important.


End file.
